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Kidney Cancer
Immunotherapy

Nivolumab With or Without Nivolumab/Ipilimumab Boost in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma

In the phase II TITAN-RCC trial reported in The Lancet Oncology, Grimm et al found that a strategy of nivolumab monotherapy with or without nivolumab/ipilimumab as an immunotherapeutic boost was associated with activity in patients with metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Study Details In...

lung cancer
immunotherapy

Jonathan D. Spicer, MD, PhD, on Early-Stage NSCLC: Survival Results With Pembrolizumab

Jonathan D. Spicer, MD, PhD, of McGill University, discusses findings from the KEYNOTE-671 study of perioperative pembrolizumab for patients with resectable early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Neoadjuvant pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy followed by resection and adjuvant pembrolizumab improved overall survival compared with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and resection alone in stage II, IIIA, or IIIB (N2) disease (Abstract LBA56).

Genomics/Genetics
Kidney Cancer
Immunotherapy

Two New Studies Using CancerLinQ Data

Two new studies—presented by Drumheller et al and Vento et al at the 2023 ASCO Quality Care Symposium—utilized data from ASCO’s CancerLinQ® database (Abstracts 418 and 532). One study revealed deficiencies in biomarker testing and tracking in electronic health records, and the other analyzed...

Leukemia
Immunotherapy

Sequential CD19- and CD22-Directed CAR T-Cell Therapy in Pediatric B-Cell ALL

In a Chinese single-center phase II study reported in The Lancet Oncology, Pan et al found that sequential CD19- and CD22-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy was active in pediatric patients with refractory or relapsed B-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). Study Details In...

Solid Tumors
Issues in Oncology
Immunotherapy

Text Message–Based Prescreening Could Benefit Patients Receiving Immunotherapy

Researchers have found that a text message–based program in combination with routine laboratory testing could safely accelerate patients to treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors, eliminate the need for in-person assessments with their physicians, and save them about 1.5 hours in total wait...

Lung Cancer
Immunotherapy

Role of TROP-2–Directed Antibody-Drug Conjugates With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Advanced NSCLC

Early-phase trials demonstrate the potential for TROP-2–directed antibody-drug conjugates to enhance the response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) without actionable genomic alterations, several investigators reported at the International...

Skin Cancer
Immunotherapy

Major Pathologic Response to Neoadjuvant Pembrolizumab in Advanced Melanoma Trial Exceeds 50%

In exploratory analyses of results from the SWOG S1801 trial in patients with stage III to IV resectable melanoma, researchers saw a major pathologic response in more than half of surgical specimens taken from patients who had been treated with neoadjuvant pembrolizumab. These and other results of...

Bladder Cancer
Immunotherapy

Nivolumab Plus Gemcitabine and Cisplatin May Improve Survival in Patients With Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma

Researchers have found that nivolumab in combination with a chemotherapy regimen may improve the rate of survival in patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma, according to new findings simultaneously published by van der Heijden et al in The New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the ...

Lung Cancer
Immunotherapy

Pre- and Postsurgical Immunotherapy Improves Outcomes for Patients With Resectable Early-Stage NSCLC

Compared with neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone, adding perioperative immunotherapy—given before and after surgery—significantly improved event-free survival in patients with resectable early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Results from the phase III CheckMate 77T study were presented at the ...

Lung Cancer
Immunotherapy

FDA Approves Neoadjuvant/Adjuvant Pembrolizumab for Resectable NSCLC

On October 16, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda) with platinum-containing chemotherapy as neoadjuvant treatment, and with continuation of single-agent pembrolizumab as postsurgical adjuvant treatment, for resectable (tumors ≥ 4 cm or node-positive)...

Breast Cancer
Immunotherapy

Expert Point of View: Neelima Vidula, MD

Commenting on the DESTINY-Breast03 presentation at the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, Neelima Vidula, MD, a medical oncologist at Mass General Cancer Center, said: “The results highlight the important survival differences of T-DXd [fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki] compared to T-DM1...

Breast Cancer
Immunotherapy

T-DXd Confirmed as Preferred Second-Line Therapy for Metastatic HER2-Positive Breast Cancer

The antibody-drug conjugate fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (T-DXd) proved to be superior to the antibody-drug conjugate ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1), significantly improving progression-free survival and overall survival, in women with unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer as ...

Skin Cancer
Immunotherapy

FDA Approves Adjuvant Nivolumab for Stage IIB/IIC Melanoma

On October 13, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved nivolumab (Opdivo) for the adjuvant treatment of completely resected stage IIB or IIC melanoma in patients aged 12 years and older. CheckMate 76K Efficacy was evaluated in CheckMate 76K (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04099251),...

Kidney Cancer
Immunotherapy

Can AI Help Identify Kidney Tumors That May Respond to Immunotherapy?

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma is the most common type of kidney cancer, comprising 80% of all malignant tumors found within the kidney. Although some clear cell renal cell carcinoma tumors are sensitive to immune checkpoint inhibitors, currently, there are no measures to predict whether a tumor...

Solid Tumors
Immunotherapy
Gynecologic Cancers
Gastroesophageal Cancer
Hepatobiliary Cancer

Cadonilimab, an Anti–PD-1/CTLA-4 Bispecific Antibody, for Advanced Solid Tumors

In a Chinese phase 1b/II trial (COMPASSION-03) reported in The Lancet Oncology, Gao et al found that the anti–PD-1/CTLA-4 bispecific antibody cadonilimab showed activity in previously treated patients with a range of advanced solid tumors, including advanced cervical cancer, esophageal squamous...

Lung Cancer
Immunotherapy
Genomics/Genetics

Expert Point of View: Justin F. Gainor, MD

Justin F. Gainor, MD, Director of the Center for Thoracic Cancers Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, was invited to discuss IMpower151 and ILLUMINATE at the 2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer. IMpower151 vs IMpower150 Dr. Gainor examined why IMpower151 was negative for both...

Immunotherapy
Lung Cancer
Genomics/Genetics

Checkpoint Inhibitors Offer Limited Benefit in EGFR-Mutated Lung Cancer After Disease Progression

In advanced non–small cell lung cancer harboring mutations of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), the role of immune checkpoint inhibitors following disease progression with tyrosine kinase inhibitors has been unclear. Several studies reported at the International Association for the Study ...

Bladder Cancer
Immunotherapy

Adjuvant Pembrolizumab May Offer Survival Benefit Over Observation in Patients With Muscle-Invasive or Locally Advanced Urothelial Carcinoma

The Alliance Data and Safety Monitoring Board has determined that adjuvant pembrolizumab may improve disease-free survival in patients with localized muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma and locally advanced urothelial carcinoma, according to the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology. ...

lung cancer
immunotherapy

Shirish M. Gadgeel, MD, on Pembrolizumab Plus Chemotherapy for Metastatic NSCLC: 5-Year Follow-up

Shirish M. Gadgeel, MD, of the Henry Ford Cancer Institute, discusses a 5-year follow-up study of patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who were treated with pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy. According to Dr. Gadgeel, the findings continue to support the use of pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy as a standard-of-care first-line treatment, including in tumors with a PD-L1 tumor proportion scores of less than 1%.

Immunotherapy
Lung Cancer
Breast Cancer
Skin Cancer
Gastrointestinal Cancer

Neoadjuvant Immune Checkpoint Blockade May Be Effective Across Multiple Cancer Types

Neoadjuvant immunotherapy may be effective prior to surgery in multiple types of cancers, according to a recent study published by Topalian et al in Cancer Cell. Background Neoadjuvant immune checkpoint blockades have been a rapidly growing area of research and are currently being tested across...

Gastroesophageal Cancer
Gastrointestinal Cancer
Immunotherapy

Quality of Life With Nivolumab Plus Chemotherapy in Advanced Gastric/GEJ Cancer or Esophageal Adenocarcinoma

As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Markus Moehler, MD, and colleagues found that in the phase III CheckMate 649 trial, the addition of nivolumab to chemotherapy was associated with generally better patient-reported health-related quality of life outcomes in patients with advanced...

Lung Cancer
Genomics/Genetics
Immunotherapy

Do Checkpoint Inhibitors Show Benefit in EGFR-Mutated NSCLC After Progression?

In patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring EGFR mutations, the role of immune checkpoint inhibitors following disease progression with tyrosine kinase inhibitors has been unclear. Several studies reported at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 2023 ...

Lung Cancer
Immunotherapy

NeoCOAST: Durvalumab Monotherapy vs Combined With Other Immunotherapies for Early-Stage NSCLC

The anti–PD-L1 monoclonal antibody durvalumab in combination with other immuno-oncology agents may outperform treatment with durvalumab alone in the neoadjuvant setting for patients with early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a recent study published by Cascone et al in Cancer ...

Leukemia
Immunotherapy

Relapsed Pediatric T-Cell ALL: Base-Edited CAR7 T Cells

In an interim analysis of a small phase I study reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Chiesa et al found that base-edited CAR7 T cells were active in pediatric patients with relapsed T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). As stated by the investigators: “Cytidine deamination that is...

Lung Cancer
Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy Combination vs Standard Chemotherapy for Metastatic NSCLC

Researchers have discovered that therapy with first-line nivolumab in combination with ipilimumab may improve the 6-year survival and quality of life of patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) compared with standard chemotherapy, according to findings presented by Peters et al...

Head and Neck Cancer
Immunotherapy

Expert Point of View: Barbara Burtness, MD

Barbara Burtness, MD, the Anthony N. Brady Professor of Medicine and Chief Translational Research Officer at Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, featured the CONTINUUM study at the head and neck cancer session on Highlights of the Day during the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting. She noted the study’s premise...

Head and Neck Cancer
Immunotherapy

CONTINUUM: In Locally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Cancer, Addition of Sintilimab to Chemoradiotherapy Offers Benefit

The addition of the PD-1 inhibitor sintilimab to standard induction chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy resulted in a significant improvement in 3-year event-free survival, a manageable safety profile, and comparable quality of life in high-risk, locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma vs standard ...

Head and Neck Cancer
Immunotherapy

Expert Point of View: Erminia Massarelli, MD, PhD, MS

The invited discussant of the VERSATILE-002 and CUE-101-01 trials, Erminia Massarelli, MD, PhD, MS, said both are examples of a growing interest in evaluating immunotherapeutic strategies and treatment sequences in early-stage head and neck squamous cell cancer as well as in metastatic disease. Dr. ...

Head and Neck Cancer
Immunotherapy

Novel HPV-Targeted Agents Boost Efficacy of Pembrolizumab in Head and Neck Cancer, Two Studies Show

Immunotherapeutics that target human papillomavirus (HPV) genotype 16 appear to boost the activity of pembrolizumab in advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Two examples were presented in posters at the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting.1,2 The phase II VERSATILE-002 trial evaluated PDS0101,...

Hepatobiliary Cancer
Immunotherapy

Expert Point of View: Peter Paul Yu, MD, FACP, FASCO

ASCO EXPERT Peter Paul Yu, MD, FACP, FASCO, commented on the implications of the study presented by Zhao et al. Dr. Yu is Physician-in-Chief at the Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute. “Tumor microbiome studies are at the cutting edge of precision medicine metabolomics,” Dr. Yu stated....

Hepatobiliary Cancer
Immunotherapy

Gut Microbiome Differs in Responders and Nonresponders to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Patients With HCC

In patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), gut microbiome characteristics differed between those who had durable responses to immunotherapy and those who did not, according to a retrospective study presented at the 2023 ASCO Breakthrough meeting.1 The presence of Clostridium...

Hepatobiliary Cancer
Immunotherapy

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors for Patients With Child-Pugh Class B vs A Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma

In a systematic review and meta-analysis reported in JAMA Oncology, Xie et al explored outcomes associated with immune checkpoint inhibition among patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with Child-Pugh B vs Child-Pugh A liver function. Study Details The analysis included 22 studies...

Lung Cancer
Immunotherapy

Phase III Trial Reports Chemoimmunotherapy Is Superior to Chemotherapy Alone in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

Patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma who were treated with a chemoimmunotherapy regimen containing the immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab experienced significantly improved overall survival compared with those treated with chemotherapy alone, with acceptable tolerability, according...

Gynecologic Cancers
Immunotherapy

Platinum-Sensitive Ovarian Cancer: Addition of Atezolizumab to Bevacizumab and Platinum-Based Therapy

In the phase III ATALANTE/ENGOT-ov29 trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Kurtz et al found that the addition of atezolizumab to bevacizumab and platinum-based doublets did not significantly improve progression-free survival among patients with platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer....

Colorectal Cancer
Immunotherapy

Strategies to Predict Immunotherapy Benefit Among Patients With Advanced Colorectal Cancer

Researchers have identified new strategies to help physicians predict which patients with advanced colorectal cancer may benefit from immunotherapy, according to a recent study published by Saberzadeh-Ardestani et al in Clinical Cancer Research. The findings demonstrate the potential of using...

Lymphoma
Immunotherapy

DLBCL: Benefit From Polatuzumab Vedotin–Containing Regimens Based on Cell-of-Origin Subtype

In an analysis reported in a letter to the editor in The New England Journal of Medicine, Palmer et al identified evidence that polatuzumab vedotin-piiq–containing regimens were preferentially effective among patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) with activated B cell (ABC) vs...

Lung Cancer
Immunotherapy

Immunochemotherapy Triplet in Patients With Advanced Nonsquamous NSCLC and Untreated Brain Metastases

In a Spanish phase II study (Atezo-Brain; GECP17/05) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Ernest Nadal, MD, PhD, and colleagues investigated the activity of the combination of atezolizumab with chemotherapy in patients with advanced nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with...

Bladder Cancer
Immunotherapy

Urothelial Carcinoma: Perioperative PD-L1 Inhibition Plus Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy

In a Swiss phase II study (SAKK 06/17) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Richard Cathomas, MD, and colleagues found that the addition of perioperative durvalumab to neoadjuvant chemotherapy resulted in improved event-free and overall survival in patients with muscle-invasive urothelial...

Skin Cancer
Immunotherapy

Follow-up of Chronic Immune-Related Adverse Events After Adjuvant Immunotherapy for High-Risk Resected Melanoma

In a retrospective cohort study reported in JAMA Network Open, Goodman et al found that patients receiving adjuvant PD-1 inhibitor therapy for high-risk resected melanoma often had chronic immune-related adverse events, with some persisting over long-term follow-up. Study Details The study included ...

Skin Cancer
Immunotherapy

Ipilimumab Plus Nivolumab May Improve Outcomes in Patients With Refractory Metastatic Melanoma, Study Suggests

Researchers have discovered that ipilimumab in combination with nivolumab may be an effective second-line therapy in patients with PD-1 blockade–refractory metastatic melanoma, according to a recent study published by VanderWalde et al in Nature Medicine. These findings demonstrated the combination ...

Bladder Cancer
Immunotherapy

Expert Point of View: Xin Gao, MD

Xin Gao, MD, Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School, Genitourinary Cancers Program, Mass General Cancer Center, commented on the results from TROPHY-U-01 cohort 2. “These data add to the overall data on the efficacy of sacituzumab govitecan in patients with metastatic urothelial cancer. This...

Bladder Cancer
Immunotherapy

Sacituzumab Govitecan-hziy Achieves Response After Disease Progression on Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor in Metastatic Urothelial Cancer

Treatment with the antibody-drug conjugate sacituzumab govitecan-hziy achieved an objective response rate of 32% in platinum-ineligible patients with metastatic urothelial cancer who experienced disease progression on an immune checkpoint inhibitor, according to the primary analysis of the...

Lung Cancer
Immunotherapy

Neoadjuvant Pembrolizumab/Chemotherapy and Adjuvant Pembrolizumab in Early-Stage NSCLC

As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Heather Wakelee, MD, and colleagues, an interim analysis of the phase III KEYNOTE-671 trial showed that the addition of neoadjuvant pembrolizumab to cisplatin-based chemotherapy followed by adjuvant pembrolizumab improved pathologic response and ...

Kidney Cancer
Immunotherapy

COSMIC-313: Triplet Therapy Is Active in Renal Cell Carcinoma, but Toxicities Pose a Challenge

The addition of cabozantinib to nivolumab plus ipilimumab prolonged progression-free survival in untreated intermediate-risk patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC), according to the first results of the phase III COSMIC-313 trial. These findings were presented as a Presidential Symposium ...

Leukemia
Immunotherapy

Blinatumomab Improves Survival in MRD-Negative, B-Cell ALL

The standard of care could be changing for adults with newly diagnosed BCR-ABL–negative B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who achieve measurable residual disease (MRD) negativity after induction chemotherapy. In the phase III E1910 trial by the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group, an...

Immunotherapy

T-Cell Tolerant Fraction May Predict Immune-Related Adverse Events Among Patients Receiving Immunotherapy

Researchers have identified a novel parameter of T cells that may help oncologists anticipate which patients are most likely to develop immunotherapy toxicity. The findings, published by Ostmeyer in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, could lead to improved treatments for a variety of ...

Solid Tumors
Immunotherapy

Are Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Efficacious Among Patients With Penile Squamous Cell Carcinoma?

Penile squamous cell carcinoma is a rare type of penile cancer with limited treatment options. An international study has found that the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors may offer clinical benefits for some patients with advanced penile squamous cell carcinoma. These findings were published by...

Hematologic Malignancies
Immunotherapy

CAR T-Cell Therapies: Trends and Indications

The ASCO Post is pleased to present Hematology Expert Review, an ongoing feature that quizzes readers on issues in hematology. With this installment, we launch a new series of articles on commercially available chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies. Syed Ali Abutalib, MD, and Jennifer N. ...

Immunotherapy
Issues in Oncology

Researchers Characterize Adverse Immune Events in Patients With Cancer Who Experience Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor–Associated Arthritis

Researchers may have uncovered the immune adverse events and the specific type of CD8 T cells that characterize inflammatory arthritis induced by immune checkpoint inhibitors, according to a recent study published by Wang et al in Science Immunology. Immune checkpoint inhibitors used to treat...

lymphoma
hematologic malignancies
immunotherapy

Matthew J. Frank, MD, PhD, on Large B-Cell Lymphoma: New Data on CD22 CAR T-Cell Therapy

Matthew J. Frank, MD, PhD, of Stanford University School of Medicine, discusses new findings showing that CD22 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is an effective and safe salvage therapy for patients with CAR19-refractory large B-cell lymphoma. A multicenter phase II clinical trial is planned for 2023 (Abstract S230).

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